The Killing Game's Serenade SYOC
by LostOne'sWeeping
Summary: Open. There is no song as beautiful as a teenager's screams for their life. Sixteen students are trapped inside an opera house with the only way out is to kill another student and get away with it. After all, no one can hear your screams except for the people around you, who are also screaming.
1. Chapter 0: Music

Music

Music can inspire us, bring hope to those who have fallen into despair, and many other boring things. But music can also be used for a much more...sinister purpose. Despair. The true essence of mankind. Hope causes a stalemate, neutrality is not much better, nothingness is despair for people that are in denial, and despair is what brings people together. Truly. None of this hope bullshit. Nobody can truly understand each other in a world of hope. Only despair. That's what the Tragedy taught us anyway. All the countries worked together until hope returned, and so did despair.

Hope is the emotion of hypocrites. Hypocrites who are too naive to realize that they're being fooled. They surround me as we watch this opera together. Why is a Despair like me watching an opera? Simple, I want to start another killing game for my darling Junko Enoshima. One of the lucky sixteen was chosen to be one the main background dancer for she cannot sing for her life. Kanon Hattori, the Ultimate Ballroom Dancer.

Watching her quick steps with her partner, a talentless nobody, makes me...excited. Excited to see that dance in the game. Excited to decide what twisted execution is in store for her. I want to see that silky blonde hair of hers be tainted with red. Her beautiful, ocean blue eyes wide open in agony as she experiences the hell of her last moment truly alive. She has the fairest skin out of all of my cast, like the winter snow. Snow is the most natural when stained with red.

I will make my own opera. An opera with players that are the best of the best. Players Hope's Peak thought they recruited, but truly it was me.

Sure, most of them don't want the part, yet this is life. In life you gotta do a lot of things you don't want. That simple. They will all get into their roles eventually. All actors do. After the rehearsals, the true play begins. And then the actors play it over and over and over again until the audience gets bored and forget about the existence of the actors as people. Actors only exist to entertain after all. They're not humans. Only puppets.

Kanon is so excited. I can see the smile on her face is real. From my own research, she was adopted by her current family before she could remember but was separated from her older, twin sister. So much hope is in her heart. It will be fun to take it all away. To see her cry as she gets ripped away from her life's dream in an instant. Oh, the despair! I'm almost jealous!

...Time to destroy all the hope that the world has left.

* * *

 _Hiya, I'm Rachelle. I'm collaborating (who is also my beta)_ _with SanityRequiem, Kaleigh, to make this project. The three fics we are working on all take place inside the same world known as the Committee Saga._

 _This fic takes place inside an opera house. That's all I'm telling. Since I want people to be surprised. Now the rules. The same rules as the rest of the Committee Saga._

* * *

 _1) No Mary or Gary Sues_

 _2) No canon talents (except if there's a good reason) and no talents from the rest of the Committee Saga (both Forest of Despair and The Despair in Our Stars). If you have no interest in reading these stories (it is recommended you read these stories but not mandatory), you can ask me beforehand if the talent can be used._

 _(Kaleigh: I swear, if we get anymore Ultimate Jewelers, I'm jumping out the window.)_

 _3) You can send a maximum of three characters. At most only one or two will be accepted (depends on how many people join)._

 _4) PMs only. Reviews spoil characters._

 _5) No bullying. If you're caught, your character will be ELIMINATED._

 _6) Have fun._

* * *

 _SYOC form (will also be posted on bio) (AKA literally the same one Kaleigh used for the Despair in Our Stars):_

 _Name:_

 _Nickname:_

 _Gender/Pronouns: (up to two nonbinary characters will be accepted)_

 _Sexuality:_

 _Ultimate Talent:_

 _Height:_

 _Weight:_

 _Birthday:_

 _Age:_

 _Nationality/Race: (up to two foreign characters, would be preferred if they're not from America or England, as we already have a lot of those in this saga)_

 _Blood Type:_

 _Appearance:_

 _Outfit:_

 _Backstory:_

 _Personality:_

 _Free Time Events:_

 _Mental/Health Problems:_

 _Likes:_

 _Dislikes:_

 _Hobbies:_

 _Pet Peeves:_

 _What They Like in People:_

 _What They Dislike in People:_

 _Who They Love the Most:_

 _Who They Hate the Most:_

 _Romance:_

 _Biggest Fear:_

 _Biggest Secret:_

 _Possible Motive to Kill:_

 _Murderer, Victim, Survivor, or Mastermind?: (there is a chance that if you state survivor, your character won't survive)_

 _If Mastermind, reason? If Survivor, why?:_

 _Possible Method of Killing:_

 _Reaction to Killing Game:_

 _Reaction to Seeing Body/Hearing Announcement:_

 _Role in Investigation:_

 _Role in Trial:_

 _Reaction to Being Accused:_

 _Reaction to Execution/Being Executed:_

* * *

 _Class Submissions:_

 _Males-_

 _1\. Hibiki Ueno: the Ultimate Music Critic (me)_

 _2\. Yuichiro Tsukuda: the Ultimate Empath (Scissor-Snipper)_

 _3\. Yori Koyasu: the Ultimate Playwright (Lupus Overkill)_

 _4._ _Shun Tsukishiro: the Ultimate Talent Scout (TheRoseShadow21)_

 _5._

 _6._

 _7._

 _8._

 _Females-_

 _1\. Kanon Hattori: the Ultimate Ballroom Dancer (SanityRequiem)_

 _2\. Azami Minatozaki: the Ultimate Graffiti Artist (KananMari)_

 _3._ _Renée Suwa: the Ultimate Matchmaker (TheRoseShadow21)_

 _4\. Sakura Aiko: the Ultimate Logician (TooManyIdeas14)_

 _5\. Soarin Suki: the Ulimate Aerial Acrobat (tobi-is-an-artist-too)_

 _6._

 _7._

 _8._


	2. Prologue 1: Celebration

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SECOND VICTIM OF FOREST OF DESPAIR. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. READ FOD FIRST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED. (love, Requiem)**

 **ALSO BEWARE THAT THIS CHAPTER AND THE STORY IN GENERAL NOW HAS VERY...DISTURBING SUBJECT MATTERS. IF YOU THINK FoD IS BAD, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET.**

* * *

Celebration.

Another Christmas day comes. It is snowing as usual. Everything is as usual. Kids are being greedy, not realizing the true meaning of the holiday, while the few that understand are the ones who suffer. Suffer from the pain that the greedy will always succeed because that is how hope is. Despair allows everybody to be on the same level, hope doesn't care. Hope has hundreds, if not thousands, of useless celebrations just to make fools waste all of their money.

One of those fools that has a pure heart not tainted with greed is Kanon Hattori. She is such a good, good girl. How lovely it will be to see her fall. This is the day that she is promised to gain the knowledge of who her twin sister is. Of course, I know, but that would ruin the fun. Her parents only told her last year, but it was clear to me that she knew beforehand. Just the simple fact that she's blonde while both of her 'parents' have black hair was enough to tip her off. The way she acted told me she would be a perfect player for this killing game!

Kanon's favorite song is playing, Carol of the Bells. She must feel so lucky to be in this situation. Her guard is completely down and there is an annoying, hopeful smile on her face. Due to her shortness, her feet do not reach the ground. They dangle like bells singing their own carol. In her hands, there is also her acceptance letter to Hope's Peak Academy, labeling her the Ultimate Ballroom Dancer. That knowledge was already known to somebody like me, however, but the moment her eyes saw those damning words, they lit up. It happened right after the opera I witnessed yesterday, backstage to be exact, surrounded by people who are now jealous of her youth, beauty, and skill. People who are not going to be sad that she is gone. Even though Kanon should know full well how dangerous going to this school is considered nowadays with there being too many killing games to properly keep count. Kanon is too naive in thinking she won't get dragged into one since her heart is still filled to the brim with hope.

This poor girl is what many people would describe as beautiful. She has glowing blonde hair that is about average length pulled together in a braid. Kanon also has a music note, an eighth rest, clip in her hair. My victim is too busy being formal at all times, and, because of that sad fact, wears a dress every day, all day, even to bed. This day she decided to put on a black dress. It, however, has pink throughout in stripes, two on her rather short sleeves, which are otherwise black ruffles, one in the middle of the chest area, and several on the skirt. There is also a black bow in the front that is right where the skirt starts. The skirt only goes up to above her knees and is puffy. Gloves are on her delicate, fragile hands that are the same pink as on her dress. Stockings are on her legs, mostly made out of black lace, but, at the top, there are small pink bows. Her shoes are pink low heels with the outlines being black.

To continue onward, Kanon wears plenty of jewels, all being black pearls. These black pearls are what her necklace, earrings, and singular bracelet on her left arm are made of. This poor, poor girl loves the feeling of being beautiful by society's hypocritical standards. Makeup is on her pale face. Blush hides her small amount of freckles and the small childhood scar underneath her right eye that she earned by thinking that playing with a glass table was a good idea. Bright pink lipstick makes her lips shine but cannot hide the fact she has a bad habit of chewing on them. Heavy amount of eyeliner still doesn't hide the fact that there should be circles underneath her eyes due to spending way too much time watching anime in the night. And, last but not least, there is light pink eyeshadow only there to help complete to look. It also helps her green eyes stand out more...to help people not notice her short height, being only five feet, and lack of any sort of curves or bust.

"Kanon Hattori, you're up." Once she hears those words, Kanon waves to her parents, Sora and Mai Hattori, goodbye, not knowing this is possibly the last time she will ever see them. She allows the lady running the front desk, who I believe is named Tokiyo Utagawa (hey, you never know how important people may be, so I made sure I knew about every person connected to all of my victims), to ID her. Tokiyo has nothing to do with anything so I will leave her alone...for now.

There is a sudden feeling of dread as her fingers grab hold to the doorknob to the office of Toshitsugu Maeno, the private investigator her parents hired to find her sister. This another person who is neither hopeful or good enough for despair, for I am pretty sure he is a scam. After all, it only took me showing him billions of dollars to make him cooperate with me. See, isn't society filled with hope so greedy? Too bad he doesn't know that it is fake. Oh, and I'm gonna kill him to make sure he doesn't speak a word about this. Toshitsugu deserves it. His greed alone caused me to win with Kanon. How I will enjoy killing him painfully and slowly. I'm going make him oink.

"Hello, Toshitsugu Maeno, what can you tell me about my sister?" Kanon asks. She is not thrilled to be relying on a private investigator, for she finds them total sticks in the mud, but she will do anything to solve the mystery of her sister. Too bad she doesn't know about Takayuki Anno. Oh, Takayuki Anno, how fun it was watching Kaneshiro play with you and all of your dear, little friends in that forest.

"Not quite. Puhuhuhu." The Monokuma I set up from before strings into Kanon's slight. She is clearly disturbed, yet it is sad that I cannot see her full reaction, as the gas I set up earlier fills up in the room. "Danganronpa will never end! The killing game will continue forever and ever!"

Kanon finally closes her eyes. Coming out of my hiding spot (oh, I'm not gonna tell you where that is, that would ruin the fun, but, yes, I can see everything in there), I pick Kanon up from the ground. She is so light and her face is surprisingly peaceful. So peaceful yet filled with so much doubt. Exploiting that doubt is going to be the key to breaking this tool for hope (but I'm a tool for despair...wonder if somebody can ever break me out of this). Using another secret passageway, I carry Kanon out of there without alerting any of the hopeful idiots on the other side of the door. Wonder how much despair her parents will feel after learning about something like this.

* * *

Days past and I see that Kanon's face is all over the streets. Nobody really cares though, too focused on their own hopeful lives to give a damn. The police are as useless as ever, and I won't be surprised if they don't know if that bastard Toshitsugu is dead. To fit with his name, I tricked him into going into a box, showing him that the money was in there. And then he slowly drowned in shit. That is as grand as an execution a piece of scum like him gets. I wonder how my execution would be like! I'm getting excited just thinking about it!

Focus, it is time to recruit my next victim into my very own opera. Another girl. It is not like I'm a pervert or anything, but the boss told me to follow this order exactly. Maybe I should defy him to see what kind of despair that would bring. That would put the opera at risk though. Junko Enoshima though loved putting her games in peril for the thrill...should I do the same?

Azami Minatozaki. Ultimate Graffiti Artist.

Looking over one of her pieces of artwork, I'm in total awe. She deserves her title. Seeing the lines be so straight yet full of energy on a graffiti piece is so refreshing. Having skill like hers work for despair would be useful, but her fate is already sealed. No more new members until one of us are dead. Us despairs care about each other enough to try to kill each other on a daily, if not hourly, basis. That is how you know somebody truly cares about you, trying to kill them for the pure despair that it brings, right my darling Junko Enoshima? Not beautiful graffiti artworks on your own school building of what I believe is a metaphorical depiction of a sunset.

Azami is probably going to be trouble for graffiting (is that a word?) her school again, but she is about to transfer to Hope's Peak. Hope's Peak literally doesn't give a shit what you do because it is the very symbol of hope itself.

At the very bottom of the sunset, I see that the name Natsuki is spelled out with so much care and love. Natsuki, oh Natsuki Sumeragi, how fun it was to see your despair. Just thinking about that killing game is making me more excited about this one! I trace my fingers around the name, allowing myself to dissolve in the texture. All the different emotions emitting from the masterpiece makes me...excited. Excited for the crude mix of hope and despair play a part in my very own masterpiece!

"What the Hell?!" somebody yells out. It is easy for me to ID the voice for it belongs to Azami, my victim. She better practice her lines before the show begins.

Azami has hair the color of violets that is sadly kept away in a ponytail. Her eyes are colored onyx. The whole feel of her is unique much like her artwork. She is toned and her skin is a light tan. Though she is not stereotypically beautiful like Kanon, Azami is still pleasing to the eye. Especially because Azami is taller than Kanon, clocking in at the normal height for girls her age, five feet and six inches. Everything about her figure is lean and well kept. To add more appeal, she shows off her abs showing that her muscles are not just for show. Also, she has quite the greater bust and ass than Kanon.

For her attire, Azami is wearing a sleeveless rainbow-colored tie-dyed crop top that compliments her body perfectly. She has on navy blue denim shorts that are newly stained with a fresh batch of all different types of colored paints. Azami's hands also still need to be clean since they are now completely blue. One of her jeans pockets has her pair of black, fingerless gloves poorly stuffed inside it. A leather, brown belt is around her waist that has the add-on of various kinds of graffiti cans hanging by her side. On her feet, there are neon green rollerblades. Her hair is further covered by her black beanie with a clue, white, little pompom at the top. There are also black, wireless headphones that go over her beanie that are playing rock music so loud I could hear it from where I was standing.

"How lovely, I can feel everything-"

"Dude, stop destroying my art. You're gonna make it all white," Azami interrupts me. Perhaps I got a little too...excited. And staring at her probably did not help matters. Oh well, not like I care that much anyway.

"That's not what I'm here for today. I want you."

"...Um...no, crazy," she responds. I try to grab onto her hand, but she uses one of her graffiti cans to spray me. Azami quickly rollerblades away from me. Oh, it is fun to see spirits much like Azami's get crushed in an instant. Such a rebellious fire there is inside her, a fire that neither yearns for the 'false' hope of the Committee of the despair of one of the True Despairs like me. Fires can be easily smothered, however, and let's just say that is one of my favorite pastimes. I take out my guns and make sure that I shoot somewhere that doesn't paralyze or kill Azami. Time to give our underground doctor some work. So I shoot one of her legs, and, just like most people in this world, Azami goes down, crying in pain.

"You're the crazy one for trying to run." I make sure I go as slowly as I can. Blood spills out of the wound, making its way to the pavement underneath. Azami is screaming and forcing herself to stay awake through pure willpower. As I move closer, and Azami notices me, she bites her lip before using her arms to crawl even more slowly away from me. A trail of blood follows her. She slowly and slowly gets less and less energy but refuses to give up. Even when I'm only a couple feet away from her, Azami continues onward, her eyes solely focused on what is in front of her.

"...Fuck you," Azami tells me. When I catch up with her, I grab onto her ponytail and yank it hard. Using the ponytail, I force the young girl up to her feet. She clearly tries to keep the weight off the injured leg, shifting it so there should not be too much pressure. Azami then tries to protect herself using another one of her graffiti cans, but I learn from my past mistakes and slap it away. Trying again, I grow tired of her. I think it is time to do something way more...exciting with her. Forcing her to the floor, Azami quickly sees what I'm up to and tries to fight back. That only makes this more fun. I see that her headphones have fallen off her head due to my actions but the music was still playing ever so loudly.

"Oh, Savior, where are your saviors now?" I ask her. Azami's eyes dilated when she figures out I know all of her dirty, little secrets.

"You! What are you doing?!" a random person questions me. Looking over my shoulder, I see that they're wearing a typical security uniform. That is the downfall of guns, they make way too much damn noise. Only if I had a silencer with me...Wait, I should relish this despair! I made a mistake without purposefully going out of my way! Oh, how lovely this is!

"Enjoying myself," I answer. The guard clearly doesn't know what they're doing so I made sure I wouldn't kill him and relish in his despair later. So I take out my gun and shoot him, making sure the bullet only gazes the side of his head. He passes out because of the pure trauma of it all. If that man was such a wimp, why did he take the job in the first place? I should give him a coward's death. All the police nowadays are cowards. Now I'm hundred percent sure that they didn't find Toshitsugu's body since they're all just a bunch of idiots. Well, the blood unfortunately splattered all over Azami's art, but, hey, that's the despair of destroying a pure masterpiece. It is so, so refreshing to finally be on a despair spree again!

"...You monster!" Azami yells out. I sigh when I realize I probably don't have enough time to have fun with her. So I just hit her with my gun, knocking her unconscious too. Maybe I've been a little too rough with Azami, but I know our doctor would fix her right up just in time for her role in the killing game! I just know it!

* * *

Another couple of days past and nobody seems to care about Azami Minatozaki. Just saw her face once for a couple seconds on the news and nobody ever spoke to her again. Though, this time, I made sure that people noticed that security guard, whose name is apparently Yoshiiku Natsume, was found. Once he awoke, and Azami was given away for our project to our doctor (who scolded me for harming one of the actors but whatever), I slowly tortured him by sticking needles in every place I could, only breaking a little skin but causing lots and lots of pain. Each of the needles was covered with nightshade poison, also made by our fabulous doctor, causing lucky Yoshiiku to contort in various unsightly poses before he died. For that one, I was purely inspired by the death of Shinichi Fujimoto! If Azami wasn't one of our actors, perhaps I would've done the same to her, knowing that they're both Saviors.

Next off the list of actors my master wants me to collect are cousins. Here's the interesting part about it, however, they both have the same talent, the Ultimate Empath, and only one of them can be part of our stage play. The other one I can do whatever I please to. My master knows that saying that is going to yield very creative results. Let's see what the Ultimate Empaths are truly made out of!

Outside it is raining, which, from my research, is something my girl target enjoys very much. The whole atmosphere is quite gloomy. It is like that the weather knows that a truly horrible crime is happening in this part of the city today. Rain is most often associated with despair but I find it far too relaxing to gain any joy out of it. Some of my coworkers enjoy it though, so it must have something that I just don't realize. Maybe I'm too used to the rain since I grew up somewhere where it rained a lot. Most places together have trouble getting the right amount of rain, however, so us despairs make sure to waste as much water as we possibly can. It would be great to see the despair the common folk face when they realize they can't live in luxury anymore!...Wait...I need to focus on my victims...

The both of them are in a coffee shop. Kiyome Yoshida, the girl, is reading a boy called Sunshine by Richie Anderson. Once I tried to sit through a Richie Anderson novel, but, since nothing bad ever happened to any of the protagonists, I gave up on the second to last page before throwing the book in a fire. To be honest, though, I much prefer music and stage than novels. She is also drinking coffee that is not even recognizable anymore by the pure, stupid amount of sugar tainting its bitter taste. I hate bitter though...it is too hopeful to drink anything sugary. On the other hand, her cousin, Yuichiro Tsukuda, a male, has his coffee straight black. He is reading a true crime novel about the Black Dahlia.

All that changed when the lights suddenly went off. Since it was so dark outside, the place is almost consumed by the darkness. It was once again far too easy to convince the person running the shop, some old geezer named Yumi Katayama, to allow me to do this. I often wonder why I take the time to learn the full names of these pieces of scum but then I find there's no other reason other than the despair of wasting my time. Making sure the one other person at the shop doesn't see me, I move quickly to neutralize Kiyome and Yuichiro. Since they are both empaths and have little skill in physical activities, it is an easy enough job.

I drag their bodies to the back of the truck. One of my despair buddies, Kimi Kamisaka, is the driver and helps me load them up. She's not important to this story so she doesn't get any description. That would cause her the most despair! Only being remembered by a name, nothing else. So the both of us place them into chairs facing directly towards each other. It is a simple setup but we didn't have enough time. Most of our focus was on making sure the opera house was ready for our show, not some random truck. Kimi wishes me bad luck as she closes the back of the truck and begins driving it out of here. It takes me a little time to get used to standing in this type of situation but I master it in no time. A part of me really wishes I tripped at least once.

"...Kiyome...Kiyome!" Yuichiro cries out. Seems like he's the first awake. He tries to get out, but I forgot to mention that they're tied down to their chairs. It would be boring for people like them to try to fight back, not worth the effort. Yuichiro attempts to break free from his prison only to fail miserably.

Yuichiro isn't quite the dashing man. While he isn't what most people would call ugly (only if they really, really hated yellow), Yuichiro isn't gonna be a model anytime soon. Especially in this condition of being tied up, even though that is quite the common kink. His nose is small but his mouth big, further amplifying the emotions he displays to others. His eyes are lime green with the slightest hints are yellow around the rims. Him being pale as can further highlight the stunning colors of his eyes that force me to look deep inside them. Other than that, Yuichiro's build is average for somebody his age. His hair is wavy and light brown in color. The hair itself spreads behind him, with a fringe tucked behind her average-sized ears. Two sections of his hair split off, forming a wavy m shape in the front.

His outfit isn't that much. The outfit has some of the colors of his eyes in the form of his sweater. Since some of his undershirt is peeking from underneath the sweater, I note that it is blue. Yuichiro's sweater has a picture that is much like a blue fox that is sitting down. He has on light blue trousers that are in good condition, like all of his other clothes. This man might not be the most handsome thing on Earth, but it seems like he still likes dressing in a decent manner. Or maybe his family forces him into it. Of course, I know, but I'm not gonna tell you. Anyway, he wears black slip-on shoes that used to shine before I dragged them through the mud. There is also a white and blue beaded bracelet on his right wrist.

"...Yu? Yu!" Kiyome replies. It is good to know that it does not take her that much longer. For a second there, I was scared that she might have stayed asleep the whole trip since we are close to our hideout. Oh, how I wanted to feel that despair just for a little while longer.

Kiyome is beautiful like the other girl Ultimates, but, by this point, I find it boring. She, much like Azami, wears a ponytail that holds back her snow-white hair...that just so happens to have an ahoge. Her blue, focused eyes are absolutely stunning and hard not to get completely absorbed by. Although they're usually half-closed, the severity of this situation has them completely open for all to see. Her skin is so pale that it wouldn't be hard to believe that it is actually purely white, much like her hair. To be honest, she looks almost nothing like her cousin, yet I guess that's sometimes the fun of genetics. Sometimes you get twins that have different skin, hair, eye, etc color so it doesn't really surprise me. Most things don't surprise me anymore actually. On one hand, I miss the despair of being brutally surprised, on the other I love the despair of missing that feeling. It just feels so, so good.

She has on a blue, sleeveless hoodie. Kiyome has false, black sleeves with blue and pink stripes along them. Her skirt is rather short and is colored grey. To cover her legs more, since it is starting to get a little colder considering it is winter (oh, I love how the Tragedy messed up the weather of the whole world), Kiyome wears knee-high socks that match the colors found on her sleeves. Her shoes are laced up with light blue undersides. The ribbon used to tie up Kiyome's hair is black with a purple lining with the benefit of being very large and noticeable. Matching her cousin, there is a yellow and green bracelet on her left wrist.

"...I could tell by the looks in your eyes which one I want," I say. I make my way to Kiyome and place a cloth over her mouth. It does not take her a long time to pass out yet again.

"Kiyome!" Yuichiro's constant screams are starting to get on my nerves other than cause me despair so I decide to make it quick. I make my way over to him, but all he's concerned with is his cousin.

"You know what, Yuichiro," I tell him before directly being in front of him. I move closer to his ear, making sure he can feel every breath I take, as I decide to whisper my words very softly. "You remind me of me." He cannot react before I place the cloth over his mouth, silencing him.

Good to know that we have our first male of the killing game. Now what to do with Kiyome...

* * *

 _Holy shit, Fanfiction really hates this story. XD So I decided to make it darker because why not? 10/10 logic. So Rachelle is back and it is so clear that Kaleigh is the beta of this story. Because commas, lots and lots of commas. (and probably mistakes because we both have a bad habit of overlooking things)_

 _Kanon Hattori belongs to SanityRequiem, Azami Minatozaki belongs to KananMari, and both Kiyome Yoshida and Yuichiro Tsukuda belong to Scissor-Snipper._

 _Sorry I couldn't private message more of you. Things have been rough with this account so if you have any questions, PM Kaleigh. Well, still PM me the characters but you might want to PM the characters to Kaleigh too just in case this account gets shut down for real. Things are complicated. Yes, this is still open and will remain open until I say so. No deadline. Especially since we continue having problems and this SYOC has a unique format. (just because your OC didn't make it here doesn't mean they're not accepted, these are just OCs with firm places in the plot so far)_

 **Kaleigh here now. Thank you so much for this project! I love the number of new people we're getting into this universe! :D Hope we don't disappoint.**

 **Now onto the reviews~ (since Rachelle doesn't want to do reviews and that's kinda my thing, you know...if you read my stuff, SHAMELESS PROMOTION!)**

 **mayurie-You know me...you don't know Rachelle. Saying nothing. Yea! Thanks, both of us love the support.**

 **CandleFire45-Here's some more creepiness. Even Hideyoshi and Kaneshiro are like WTF dude. Thanks. See ya soon too.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too-We're all Vocaloid fans here. Hello, Requiem here. :) Rachelle has skill in writing Creep McCreepFaces. Thanks.**

 **Abitat Eco-Thanks. Welcome to the suffering train. No, the talent doesn't need to be connected to theatre. We're just both theatre geeks.**

 **TheRoseShadow21-Thanks for being so excited...like our little protagonist (no, not in that way!).**

 **Scissor-Snipper-Thanks. Well, they're accepted. Rachelle went crazy over them and wrote their section first...even before Kanon's.** **XD**

 **RioA-Thanks. We both look forward to it.**


	3. Prologue 2: Talent

Talent.

Everybody has something they are at least somewhat good in, but we all know that the best of the best are the students that get accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. Even in this cruel world of ours, they can make something of themselves. A world that you can only succeed if you have talent. Too bad my talent is in causing despair. The world can be a better place when despair dies. Too bad that also is not going to transpire for a long time. For the only way to kill all of despair is to kill all of life, all of hope. Hope is what causes despair, and despair is what causes hope. It is a balance-

"You seem to be lost in thought. May I acquire what's on your mind?" somebody asks. I look up to see my next target is right in front of me. There are a notebook and pen in his hands, with the pages filled to the brim with many ideas for many stories. He, however, seems interested in me, how strange.

The both of us are standing before the entrance of Matano Theatre, which is one of the bigger ones in this area. It is also relatively brand new but has been made to look oldfashioned since the people born to slaves cannot have the true luxury. There is barely anybody here due to the fact that it is a weekday and is an hour pass the closing time, seven PM.

"Yes, I am, just thinking about Keiko and the Seven Thieves," I respond. There is then a small sparkle is Yori's eyes.

"Keiko and the Seven Thieves!? Oh, can I ask how you know about that work?" He is definitely somebody that asks way too many questions. Questions like these surely annoy me but perhaps it is better for me to play along for now.

"How can I say this? I know a lot about you, Yori Koyasu, Ultimate Playwright," I answer.

Yori has long, dark curly hair that reaches his shoulders. His eyes are tired looking, deep-set, and the brilliant color of hazel. I can certainly tell that he spends a lot of time with his work and making sure it properly gives the audience hope. How hope sickens me but art is so divine, even with its presence. The color of his skin is pale, which compliments his young-looking face and upturned nose. Speaking of his teenager appearance, his lean, lanky build certainly does not help, but I could tell many more things by observing his forced good posture. I wonder if it causes him any sort of despair to see better-built teenage actors all around him. It does not fit a hope-filled teenager like him.

The outfit he wears is formal but not to the point of stressing me out because of my casual wear. Oh, how I would have wanted that outcome instead. Yori has a white-collared shirt that must be hard to keep clean underneath an open black jacket. His pants are a boring grey color that compliments his black loafers. Overall, if somebody would go off looks alone, he would not stand out that much. What makes him, and so many other people forced into this game by me, more interesting is their talent. Talent is what makes the world go round! I hate it so much but I love it so much! Hate, love, hate, love! Why the fuck can't I have a talent?! Oh, the despair-

"Geez, you're a little creepy. But I'm glad my name's getting out there! How did you get into theatre!? I think that you would fit the role of my next villain perfectly, a mad king-"

"Who steals from the poor to give to the rich, which the protagonists are trying to fight against using their own inner strength. A return to your roots I see. But this time the protagonist, Tenko, has a vengeance against him and is willing to get her hands dirtier than _heroes_ your previous works. You seem to be playing around with your own tropes to give the audience a mix of hope and despair since that will increase the maximum enough of enjoyment in some people."

"How?" Yori questions me, not realizing how deep into the rabbit hole he is digging himself in. It would be easy to just ignore me, but this boy seems to not have heard of the old proverb curiosity killed the cat. That is rather unfortunate since it would have been wonderful to see how much despair he could bring if he joined our side. Artists have always had the talent to bring out different kinds of emotions than boring people like I. I am just an observer, one who experiences art and could only create pale copies.

"But your main focus now is your very first play, Keiko and the Seven Thieves. You are trying to expand your work overseas, starting with that one. It is not your best work by a long shot but absolutely amazing for your first time! I wonder if any girls have said that about you-"

"What are you talking about? How do you know all this information?" It amazes me that Yori is still here, asking questions. His stubbornness is practically asking for him to be killed horribly one day. The despair of a character flaw can be one of the best ones that a person can ever experience, however. Especially if you consider how avoidable all this is. My sad little puppet does not realize the playwright is about to become an actor in somebody else's play.

"It truly isn't that hard to find out information about people the Committee claims to have some sort of talent. You're lucky that they accepted you since now you can be a part of the game! How I would love to be part of a game!"

"...What?" That is when Yori finally gets the cue to try to run away. He must be planning to use the telephone inside to call the police since he does not seem to have a phone on his person. Grabbing onto his arm, he gasps, though there is a weird set of emotions in his eyes. Of course, there is the typical fear of people brainwashed by this society to accept hope no matter the situation, yet there is also a strange curiosity.

"This has become boring. Time for you to go to sleep now-"

"What-" Tired of hearing questions, I let go of him. Yori is confused but then tries to get away again, before I hit him hard on the head. The blow knocks the poor, weak boy out cold instantly.

"What a shame though, I would have loved to watch the adventures of Tenko become a real play. I'm glad you give me this despair, young, naive one."

* * *

It seems like I forgot that there are security cameras at the Matano Theatre. Although I was smart and covered my face (although that means the world still knows my build and, if I get arrogant like those filled with hope, I could be found out), the world now knows that somebody did indeed abduct Yori Koyasu. Boss was mad at me and gave me the beating of the lifetime, which made everything worth it.

And now I am in a bush near the actual Hope's Peak Academy building. This is most certainly a ballsy move but there has to be something for me to do to make up for having security footage of me all over the internet and many theatre geeks wanting me to experience the worse despair. Thank you, theatre geeks, I actually want that. Saying those types of things is nice for somebody who has fallen into the darkest depths of despair and can't possibly come back, no matter how much you try. Trying to fight against it is way too much work, I rather feel despair than work towards hope. Hope is boring.

Seeing a certain girl go in, I decide that it is finally time to make a move. I quickly follow her but make sure that I do not bring that much attention to myself. There are cameras everywhere but this time I will not be so arrogant. Having your plan fail can bring despair, yet it can truly only do so if all the preparations are meet beforehand, otherwise, all you will feel is emptiness.

I follow the girl into some sort of waiting room and take a seat far away from her. She walks to the woman at the desk with a rather neutral walk.

"Hello, the name's Renée Suwa. I still have to sign some paper with Shun."

"Oh yes, Ms. Suwa, Mr. Tsukishiro has been waiting for you. Please make your way inside his room," the attendant, whose name I have figured out is Ami Soho, responds. She types something into her computer as Renée makes her way inside the room.

"I believe I have an appointment as well later," I say to Ami. She raises her left eyebrow.

"Sir, I do not know who you are. Ms. Suwa is the last person visiting Mr. Tsukishiro today. I believe you must be confused."

"No, Ms. Soho, you're the one confused-"

"How do you know my name?" Ami asks as I see her fingers are dangerously close to a button. Not wanting to fail, I throw the same gas I used with Kanon at her before putting on my very own gas mask. I was truly more prepared this time around. She quickly passes out.

Good thing I ask some of my fellow despairs to mess with the cameras in this room. It is a good thing that this part of society still does not know how to properly manage the things or else I would be in even bigger trouble than before.

Although I do not want to kill Ami, she still has seen my face, so something has to be done about her. I could go the usual route of killing her, but I can easily find another use for her. Perhaps I can abduct her and present her as some sort of gift to the boss. She is working at Hope's Peak so she must have some serious ties to the Committee. That could compare at least some holes are relationship has. What he does with her is no business of mine, yet it will be nothing good. Maybe she will share the same fate as Kiyome. Perhaps she can become another friend for us. I mean, that is what happened to me.

I leave her body behind to deal with it later. Moving quickly, I place some of the waiting room chairs against the door so people will have a harder time getting in if they try. However, just like Matano Theatre, I am smart enough to come at a time where Hope's Peak is not busy. There might be a few other people in the school, however, so I must try my best to make as little sound as possible. Renée Suwa, the Ultimate Matchmaker, and Shun Tsukishiro, the Ultimate Talent Scout, must have been too busy with their conversation to hear me. Or, perhaps, due to the sensitive information shared inside Shun's room, the walls are soundproof.

I open the door suddenly, causing the boy and girl to stare at me, then I close it behind me before the gas can get into the room. Taking my mask off, I know the two of them can clearly see my face. The two of them were signing some sort of papers, probably to clarify whether or not Renée truly wants to go to this school, knowing all of the risks.

"What happened to Ms. Soho?" Shun questions me in a stern manner.

"She had a little accident with gas."

"I don't think you meant that the way it turned out," Renée comments. She is immediately on-guard as well. Both of these people must know the true magnitude of this situation.

"..." Shun gives me a stand-offish stare while Renée slowly makes her way to the other side of the room, pure panic already written all over her rather adorable face.

Shun is very pale, paler than Yori but not to the point of the paleness being unnatural. His facial features are quite sharp that greatly compliments his personality. This sharpness contrasts directly with his, almond-shaped, golden brown eyes. Making his eyes stand out more is his quite feminine eyelashes. Much like Yori's hair, Shun's is black, yet this time there is the slightest hints of burgundy. It is also long but only has a slight wave to it and a thick fringe. He is also quite skinny as well. The thing that stands out most about Shun, though, is his perfect hands. Oh, the despair that would happen if I were to happen to ruin those!

For the new adult's outfit, he has a grey, long-sleeved shirt underneath a dark blue, almost indigo, sleeveless waistcoat. Only three of the bottom buttons, which all of the buttons are a white color and in the shape of squares, are in use. His jeans are black and skinny, with a belt of shiny black leather and a silver bucket with a gold Chinese dragon engraved into the fine design, holding the pants in place. There is a black scarf with stars plastered all over it hanging loosely around his delicate neck. The scrap looks like a loop of fabric that reminds of the endless cycle of hope and despair. Like how stars are the most brilliant when they finally die out.

On the other hand, Renée might not be the best looking of all the girls, but she certainly is the cutest. Seeing cute characters like her get brutally killed in a must in any sort of game. Although Renée is overweight, it is only slightly and she still has a relatively good build. Her brown eyes are down-turned and soft, reminding me somewhat of a deer. Don't ask me why. Her skin is the darkest of all of the players because of her Indian heritage (she was, however, raised in France and Japan). Renée has the right amount of makeup, as she only wears pink lipgloss and a flick of dark mascara. Her hair is purple and styled into a neat bob. Shun's hair is actually longer than hers. The only jewelry she wears is a pair of small, hoop earrings.

Renée has on a reddish-orange tunic-like top that is made out of material that flows well and easily reaches to about her knees. The sleeves are made out of a different material than the rest of the tunic, being a scarlet, transparent color with the cuffs being in gold-and-red embroidered silk. There is a curlicue pattern at the top of the tunic being comprised of threads intimidating vines colored red, orange, and gold, accompanied by rhinestones acting as leaves. She wears a black undershirt that goes beyond her tunic. Making her shirt look more like a dress is a wide, corset-style belt with black silky ruffles, and lacing up at the front with red ribbons, being on the edges.

Continuing on with her outfit, since this long and complicated description is giving me such despair, Renée wears scarlet leggings. There are slightly worn black ankle boots on her feet with zippers on the side that severely clashes with the rest of her outfit. Around her shoulders is a wide, gauzy shawl that matches with the material of the rest of her outfit. The whole outfit makes her stand out from the other students, and it is good to see that not everybody is confirming to the style enforced by the Committee. If she looked older, I would like her more.

"Both of you already know I'm bad news. That's a good change of pace. I'm so sick of not being viewed as a threat."

"You sure took a long time to respond. It was almost like you were analyzing us," says Shun. "...I knew this was going to happen eventually."

"Well, I guess you two really are smart." I put my gas mask back on and then open the door again. Shun quickly covers his mouth with her undershirt, but Renée's impulses do not respond fast enough, most likely due to the panic she is in, and she too succumbs to the gas.

"..." I lunge at Shun, causing him to try to defend himself. It does not take me long to overpower him and make him meet the same fate. I remember that there is a window in the waiting room and decide to escape using that.

"...But, if you really smart, you would have never joined Hope's Peak Academy. The school where all the dead go to die."

* * *

Perhaps I should be more careful. The police for sure are going to find some kind of trace. News outlets are now reporting that somebody is abducting Ultimates and for them to be careful, especially when alone. Nobody takes them seriously though. Online groups are trying to find who I am with the limited amount of information they have gathered. But, even with all of this, I will continue on with my goal. My boss was really happy with the new plaything I gave him after all.

One of these members is in the 'safety' of her own home, typing away many theories on her computer and visiting many forums to discuss her findings. The only thing that stands out in her room is her computer as the rest of it is boring. Boring white walls, boring white bed, boring white everything. The amount of white inside this room actually hurts my eyes. I would say how great the despair is but truly it is too boring.

"Who is there?" she asks. Her name is Sakura Aiko, the Ultimate Logician. It surprises me that she notices my presence before I make myself known to her. Then again, it should not considering her talent.

"Are you expecting me to introduce myself? I'm afraid I've no name, Sakura Aiko."

Sakura herself is a small girl that would be considered cute if she is not stone cold all the time. Reports say that she never shows an ouch of emotion. Her hazel eyes piercing into my soul tells me as much. Eyes are the window to the soul yet there is nothing to find but pure emptiness. She is way too thin for her age, to the point that some might even find her creepy. The length of her hair is long, reaching to slightly below her knees, and is straight. It is also made out of pure, flowing silver. A pair of small-rimmed, black glasses rests on her normal nose. The glasses do not help make let eyes look any less creepy. Even as a despair, something about the logician rubs me the wrong way. There is a desire to run away from the Committee's dog.

To continue her look, Sakura has several earrings on her left ear but not her right. There is a little blue plastic flower in Sakura's hair that greatly contrasts with the rest of her. Her short, black shirt with blue edges makes her legs look disproportionate to her body in an entirely uncanny way. The top Sakura wears consists of a black, sleeveless v-neck vest as the overshirt and a blue long sleeve one as the under. Sakura wears transparent blue stockings that go to above her knees and have black borders. Her shoes are black high heels. She always looks like she is ready to go to work even though she is just sixteen. If she lives on the side of hope, shouldn't she be enjoying her youth? What is life without joy? Emptiness. You will not even feel despair if you do not first experience an inkling of hope.

"Hmmm...if you are here, and you are not supposed to be, does that make you the attacker?" Sakura keeps her monotone voice and emotionless face. She crosses her legs as she finally turns around to see me. "I am afraid you are not going to take me that easily. I was prepared for something like this to happen."

"Oh?"

"I will not allow myself to be taken in by you. I am smarter than you after all."

"..." I do not respond, focusing solely on her movements. Before I notice that she had something behind her back, it is too late. She presses the button and then her room transforms into something else. We are on two different platforms with nothingness being between us.

"Let us see if my calculations are right about you stranger." Sakura then takes out her phone and starts dialing a number. She calls them, but right before she says anything, I take off my jacket and throw it at her, leaving her confused.

"No, they're not."

"Do tell. I would love to see what your argument is," Sakura answers.

"I can show you emotion." There is silence. Whoever she is calling must be really confused. Sakura still has the same hard exterior yet something about the atmosphere is telling me I made some kind of mark.

"I do not need emotion, only my logic."

"Everybody needs emotion. Thinking that way will only lead to your downfall." Then I bring out my gun that was hidden in my back pocket. Sakura is once again silent. She is like a computer program loading up the proper response.

"A gun? Surely you do not mean to shot me."

"Well, see, there was this other girl, Azami..." I pull the trigger, aiming for Sakura's shoulder. It hits, causing her to let out the first signs of emotion, pain. Except if you have a problem with the wiring in your brain, all humans feel pain. That is how it works, right? Then again, I never went to school, so all I know is what I have been told by the other despairs. "Oops, my finger slipped."

"This is something I should have predicted."

"Yeah, yeah, you're like, because guns are illegal for the common folk like this, nobody should have them. Wrong. Now put this back to normal and end that class or else I will put this bullet in your head."

"...Fine." With a slightly shaky hand, Sakura presses the button again and everything returns back to normal in a matter of a couple minutes. She then walks up to me and places her own hands out.

"Oh? What is this?"

"It is clearly futile fighting against this well-thought plan. You probably have reinforcements in case you mess up. At times like these, giving up is the best option to take to decrease the odds of death. Although you might torture me, it would be better than death," Sakura explains. She is right about the reinforcements. To be honest, I was just about to call them if the gun idea did not work. The more hands we have working this part of the job, the better.

"Finally, somebody with some common sense." Taking her hands, I go through the way I came, the window. Seconds later I hear the door opening and somebody calling Sakura's name.

Who knew the Ultimate Logician could be such a fool?

* * *

 **IT LIVES!**

 _Well, um, this took a while. Sorry for life got in the way of me working on this story. Hell, Requiem wrote most of this chapter to give it up to her. Things will be updating slowly for this story for a long time but..._

 **IT LIVES!**

 _Yeah, so thank you for reading this. I will try to hardest to somehow complete this. So, yeah. If any of these OCs are in other SYOCs, this is going to be awkward._

 _Yori Koyasu belongs to Lupus Overkill, both Renée Suwa and Shun Tsukishiro belong to TheRoseShadow21, and Sakura Aiko belongs to TooManyIdeas14._

 _Remember, that your character can still get in if they don't appear in this chapter. If your character is already accepted into another SYOC, message me._

 **Review Time With Requiem~**

 **But, seriously, if you had to choose, would you rather be a character in this story or Forest of Despair? The Despair in Our Stars kids have it good compared to everyone else. XD**

 **TheRoseShadow21-Every story I touch turns into M. Save the cousins from Mr. No Name. This fic is cursed. :P Always send anything involving this story to me just in case everything gets lost. Rachelle says thank you. ^.^**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too-Mr. No Name is a creep. You can always curse in these comment sections even though you give my poor stepmom a heart attack. :P**

 **Scissor-snipper-Rachelle and I worked hard to the creep level. It is like: what if the games were told in the point of view of an actual psychopath? Tada! Here you go. Rachelle had that idea because she thought it fleshes the characters out more, showing they have actual lives to return to. No problem in making them canon. ^.^**

 **CandleFire45-Yes, this is canon despair. This is what happens in slightly different ways. Kanon is my baby literally. I don't know whether or not Azami and Mitsuru would love or hate each other. The cousins are amazing. Your reviews are always good. Have a nice day as well.**

 **KananMari-Fanfiction is like...this guy is a little too cray cray. Kiyome isn't going to have any fun, to say the least.**

 **1GlimmerShine-Thanks so much. ^.^ I think Rachelle is a better writer than me while I'm the better storyteller. Combine the two of us and you get Mr. No Name. Nothing is what it seems in this fanfic. Mr. No Name knows the truth but he's purposefully not telling you. This chapter pretty much confirms Mr. No Name isn't the mastermind. Drowning in shit is the best way to go (to tell the truth, Rachelle based this death off a creepy ass farming PSA short film about all these kids dying...and then showed it to me...and then drowning in shit wasn't so funny anymore...goddammit, Rachelle!). Well, this story is officially cursed. Yippee.**

 **Abitat Eco-It is cursed. Thanks, Rachelle and I work very hard on this story. This story gets even more M, don't you worry. There is no deadline for this fic will probably update monthly or bimonthly. A.K.A this is a slow burn. Thanks. Puhuhuhu.**

 **Lupus Overkill-Thanks, I hope I did a good job with most of this chapter. His character gets more complex, don't you worry, I know the plot. Puhuhuhu. Rachelle and I really like describing appearance, and Rachelle even lampshaded this with Renée. It can't be Committee Saga without overly long descriptions. But, in all seriousness, thanks for the tip. Everything will come into play. I like Azami, so I hope you like her too. Oh, don't you worry, you will find out more.**

 **ToonGuy-Don't worry, this story is cursed. Dark as Hell but in a good way is the basic summary of the Committee Saga. XD You keep up the good work too. ^.^**


	4. Prologue 3: Wishes

Wishes.

They are what the naive hold onto and dead carry down with them to their graves. Their graves filled with meaningless marigolds and empty promises. Hope filled wishes only give way to disappointment as people realize that is not how the world works. Despair...despair won't be such a cruel mistress!

That much is true for Sakura Circus, which is somehow still here. It has transformed into a traveling circus due to the number of crazies coming out of it is bad for profit. Shouldn't that be better for circuses? I guess not, the world is still not prepared for the likes of the Yamazakis. What a pity, they were good while they were still alive. But the world refuses to accept anything that isn't the boring static of hope.

Another one of their shows end. It does not have that much of an audience since it is late. Now the town is realizing that they are in trouble with another Killing Game. Took them long enough. Of course, the Ultimates are too dumb to do anything about it, but it is sweet seeing them try.

Coming out with sweat all over her, I see my next target, the Soarin Suki, Ultimate Aerial Acrobat. She will be harder to catch because of the people surrounding her. I have to find a way to get her alone.

She is talking with the other members of the circus, who of which we did not have time to research, and some of the people dumb enough to go out this late. One of the girls is surrounded by discarded papers as she is drawing up something that looks like some kind of outfit.

Suki herself is somebody who I would consider to be attractive. Her body is like an hourglass with a noticeable bust that compliments her long, dark red hair nicely. The hair itself is tied in a messy ponytail that has a pink ribbon on the end. Everything about her looks disheveled but it might be because she just finished her show. For her outfit, she has on a red cropped tank top underneath a large white hoodie jacket. A pair of red spandex shorts would cling onto her legs if not for the black tights underneath. She might have a modest outfit but nothing can hide her body.

On her feet, Suki has on relatively simple non-slip white sneakers. She has the overall air of an athlete. I see that seconds later that Suki puts on her black-rimmed glasses. Instead of subtracting from her beauty, the frames compliment the natural shape of her face. The somehow make her golden eyes shine like diamonds. Even if everything else about her was undesirable, I would want to have her just for those eyes. Those eyes call me to them, unwilling to let me go. Maybe this is why she has a reputation of being one of the most beautiful Ultimates for all of these years even with her debatable lack of self-care.

"Akeno the Great will figure this out! Akeno will!" the other girl shouts out. Due to her emotional outburst, some of the crowd stares at her but promptly go back to ignoring the teenager. She does not care as she bites her lip as she doodles on one of her other papers.

"Who are you?" Staring down at the girl, I see designs that are Ultimate level. It surprises me that she is not considered one. She should be. Her just not being known by the Despairs is impossible.

"Oh, an admirer! Like what you see? Hahaha! Are you amazed? You should because your eyes are witnessing the great prowess of Akeno the Great!" she beams. "Do you want one of my fabulous designs? For Akeno is the tailor that will turn over your entire world! Make you experience the true beauty of art!"

"You're...enthusiastic..."

"Because art is more than a thing, it is a living thing that breathes! It creates! Only if Akeno could tailor out here!" Akeno begins to pout much like a little child. She has so much hope dedicated to her art it's disgusting, yet, for some reason, I cannot help feeling that she and I would get along if things did not go the way they did.

More onto the little girl herself, she has fair skin that matches well with her bright green eyes. Her long pink hair has bangs at the top that stops a little below her brow. There are scars on her hands that are most likely caused by the hours of hard work she must go through. Matching her eyes, Akeno has on a green button-up shirt that is accompanied by a royal purple suit vest. All of her articles of clothing are well made and have a flair to them that one does not see in any of the retail stores, even the most expensive and popular ones. They are filling this bleak world with so much more color than it rightfully deserves.

Akeno's pants are black jeans that look more comfortable than any pants I have ever worn. Even her shoes are homemade. They are a pair of purple sneakers. Attached to her neck, there is something that looks to be some kind of cape that is colored in the richest of greens. She is the picture of childhood naivete even though she is clearly a teenager. Her body may be small for her age yet no child is built like that. Also helps that her voice is deeper, although still high for her age. I should be angry at her and her hope, yet something inside me stops my actions.

"You think so?"

"Akeno know so! It speaks to Akeno as it is Akeno's calling! Art whispers sweet nothings into Akeno's ear and Akeno makes sure that they become a reality!" She then looks intensely at me, taking each part of me in. "Idea! I'll create the perfect outfit for you!"

"You should become the Ultimate Tailor. I'm sure you can get in, and you get a lot of perks," I tell her. To my surprise, Akeno begins to laugh at me.

"Akeno is the Ultimate Tailor in Akeno's heart!" She then jumps up in the air as she takes a hold of my hand. I do not have time to react as I notice that I am being dragged off somewhere. Suki is still in my vision but she is quickly fading. My master will not like this, and her eyes still call out my nonexistent name.

"Heart?" What is going on? Being part of this Killing Game is my dream, yet I cannot stop myself from being dragged around like some sort of doll by this little girl! I should be trying to cause the most amount of despair, not feeding off the hope that Akeno's aura gives off.

"Heart! Yes!" I do not resist anymore as Suki disappears from my eye of sight. W-what is this feeling? And how stupid is this little girl to purposefully put herself in a situation where she is alone with a stranger in the middle of the night when lots of people are going missing? Hope does make somebody stupid I guess, that's one of the reasons why I hate it so damn much.

* * *

"Tada! Its Akeno's studio! Isn't it lovely?" Akeno starts to swirl around in the middle. I guess it is true what they say, you can tell a lot about a person based on where they live. Or at least I think this is where she lives. But, based on the information I know about this random girl I found, this fits her perfectly.

The only place that is remotely clean is the closest, but even that is starting to be overrun by original designs trying to find any semblance of room. Even with all this talent, it seems that Akeno keeps most of her outfits or maybe waits for the perfect seller to come along. Or makes too much of them to properly keep hold of them all. However, outside of the closest, mannequins are everywhere, their dead eyes enough to give a person like me the creeps but have no effect on Akeno. Unfinished designs lay on all of them. For those who could not find their way onto a mannequin, they are placed onto the tables with much care. The tables themselves have hundreds of designs littered on them, making it almost impossible to know they used to be white. How hasn't this girl been chosen for an Ultimate? She might act and look young, but Akeno is clearly in her teens.

Every other surface has been overrun by designs as well. In one of the corners, I see a pile of papers and notebooks as well. Her family or guardians must have started giving her those to make her stop drawing on the walls. It is hard not stepping anywhere without something in the way. Somebody really needs to clean in here. Of course, I can think of at least one of the members of the Despairs that would love the feeling of seeing a room as unclean as this. But I don't want them to get anywhere near Akeno. She has such an annoying sense of hope that I want to protect. Protect from people from myself.

My master really won't like this.

"...Yes..."

"What's your name, mister? Akeno can't just keep calling you Mr. No Name or something!"

"...I don't have a name..." A name is useless for despairs like me. There are a countless amount of us that can just be replaced at any time. If you complete your task, you're useless and thrown out like trash. But we love that! Treat us like trash, grand master! We're all the same, with the same kind of mind. Us despairs can be referred to as a hive mind of sorts.

"Akeno will fix that...Hmmm...let Akeno think... ** _HHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM_**..." She begins to bite onto her tongue softly. She places both her fingers on the sides of her head and closes her eyes. I could imagine her in a game like this, trying to solve who brutally took the life from one of her beloved friends.

"You don't have to-"

"Yuudai Hinode! You're the hero of the sunrise!" I'm not sure that name means anything like that, but it doesn't fit either way. Nobody would call me anything like a hero. Especially since I can't even kidnap a high school girl properly and have this game that I am living for. All the others before and after me would be disappointed. Maybe I should feel despair for my failure, but nothing comes up other than this strange feeling of emptiness. Not the emptiness that comes from despair, mind you. That emptiness leaves us excited, this one makes me feel empty.

"Hero of the...sunrise?"

"Yes! Exactly! Hero of the sunrise! Akeno thinks Yuudai can be great!" She smiles as she finds some cloth that had been placed on the floor. Then, with a measuring stick in hand, she begins taking account of my measurements.

"Great...?"

 _Yes, great! You'll be the hero this family deserves!_

W-what is that?

 _C'mon, Isao, let's go!_

"Yuudai looks good in red! It matches Yuudai's hair!" She smiles, completely set in her own world. That naivete will get her killed. The despairs would have too much fun converting somebody like her, considering what they are currently doing to Kiyome. I have no qualms admitting I would be part of that crowd. Something would change in that smile of hers, transforming it into a twisted grimace.

"Oh, that's where you've been." Interrupting the two of us, I hear somebody knock down the door. Akeno and I both look to see who is our new visitor. I recognize him immediately.

"M-master?"

"Isn't this that demon child? Mushoku no Akuma?" He asks. Not expecting her attitude to change, I am surprised to see that Akeno's eyes are dilated. Her whole body has stopped as if paused in time. "Did you really think you could be an important character in this story? No, you're smart enough not to apply to Hope's Peak, even though I would call you the Ultimate Tailor. Its such a shame to have to put an end to people with talent and brains."

"..." All the life leaves her once vibrant eyes. I should have guessed a personality like hers was too great for this world of ours. Even people like her on the surface have their own personal demons. Demons that can be used to help further their despair. The overwhelming despair this world already creates! It thrives in this fucked up world!

"And you...I guess we have to fix that little bug. Whatever. Here, just get rid of her." My master then throws me a gun. It lands into my hands like it is weightless. Seconds later, however, it becomes the weight of the world. I can barely stop myself from dropping it on the littered ground. Littered with art ruined by this one chance encounter caused by having too much trust in a random person on the streets. The world doesn't like playing fair, even to those destined to go into heaven. We all have no true mouths. Although we scream, it is all for naught. Nobody fucking cares. They're too caught up in their own little world to give a shit about others until it is too late.

"Yes, master."

Akeno does not react to the gun being shoved against her head until it is too late. Her eyes plead with me, but that is nothing compared to my master. My master that stands there, expecting me to behave like the pet I am. A pet to help him put on his twisted idea of entertainment.

Then I pull the trigger.

Her body drops like one of her mannequins. In the small confines of the room, the sound echoes, making the moment longer than it has any right to be. Above us, I hear footsteps coming closer to us. Guess that this studio was connected to some sort of house after all.

Seeing her body like that...makes me so excited! Hope has lost one of its important figures today nobody even knew existed! Her designs are too covered in the red liquid known as her blood to be used properly anymore! Akeno's head just sorta went...squish. Like a little bug stepped on by a high heel. Squish, squish, squish. Nothing Akeno could have done could prevent her from getting squished like the unimportant bugs we are all! In the grand scheme of eternity and the universe, nothing we do truly matters! Realizing that causes the greatest amount of despair! Nothing. Fucking. Matters!

"Your usefulness has come to an end, _Isao Takagi_." And then there was black. The sweet, sweet darkness I have been truly searching for my whole entire life. It feels so...disappointing.

* * *

Soarin Suki is the target. The only target. Only focus on Soarin Suki and nobody else. For the sake of despair, this job has to be done properly. This game must go on without a hitch. The despair of causing its delay might be tempting, but the despair of getting it done would be so much more fulfilling. Wonder how people will react this time around.

The subject is all alone in her room in the circus. Everybody else is asleep but the subject is still awake. Something must be on her mind. Perhaps she feels like something bad will happen to her today? If so, then the subject has a good connection to her instincts. It will still be hard getting to the subject since she can cause noise and arouse those around her, and her talent gives her to physical prowess.

To get her properly, perhaps it is best to play a little...dirty.

I move from my hiding place and Suki is automatically on guard. To stop her from yelling, I raise up my hands. This is enough to confuse the girl, who tilts her head.

"Out with, creep, what do you want? You better not be one of those obsessed fans who stalk their idols." Suki places her hands on her hips and rolls her eyes. Even with all the danger around her, she does not seem to be taking this situation seriously. Perhaps it is time to up the ante. If I try anything in this state, Suki would not hesitate to shout, even if it would make her seem weak. Or maybe she has been gone with the circus and just doesn't know the peril she is currently is. That can also be likely.

"No, I am not. I'm here to take you to a game."

"People like you really rub me the wrong way, so if you could just stay over there that would be great." Suki is about to leave the room and I cannot let that happen. That happening would greatly increase her odds of getting help. The police may be useless yet having them here would certainly make my job harder.

"I'm here to talk about... _Junko_..."

"J-Junko?" She stops automatically. "Okay, crazy dude who just so happened to appear in my room, what in the world do you know about Junko? Other than you two would definitely get along with each other. She would love analyzing you."

"She's a bit crazy, isn't she?"

"Hey, I can call Junko a loon, not you, you don't even know her enough to say that," Suki replies as she crosses her arms. This is not going well, but at least she has not alerted anyone. It would help if her voice was lower, but it seems that the people here are quite heavy sleepers. What luck.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? If you come with me freely and without causing a scene, I'll tell you where Junko is. Because I do know. I can promise you that." I take a step forward and it looks like Suki is about to bolt from the scene. There has to be something else I can do. The person before me has caused us too many problems already, and the police are seriously trying to track us down. Does not help that the Tachibanas did not approve of the previous one's killing of their daughter. The police must be having the time of their lives trying to connect a pointless person like Akeno Tachibana to everybody else. The idiot didn't even bother telling her family she was going to visit the circus, but it is only a matter of time until a witness places her there. Then, boom, connection to Soarin Suki, so we have to do this now.

"Then where is she?"

"You have to come with me-"

"I'm not an idiot! Did you seriously think that I would come waltzing to you because you have information on Junko!? You're just another of those damn liars!" And, just like that, Suki begins to bolt. I follow after her, surprised that she is not calling for help. Perhaps she does not want to endanger the other members of the circus? No, the more likely answer is that she is too emotionally compromised right now.

The two of us run in silence until we make it out of the circus area and into the city itself. Suki tries her best to get rid of me but I keep at her heels. It is hard, but I am able to do it. I will do anything to finish the mission I have been given!

Suki then turns into an alleyway. She is about to jump a fence in which I am not fast enough to stop her considering her talent. I have to stop her before she jumps that fence.

"Junko is in danger! Running anymore will cause her death!" I shout out. Just as Suki is about to escape, she stops and turns to face me. Bingo.

"...Fine..."

Another one on the list checked off. There has not been that much progress as of late thanks to my predecessor, but I will change that.

* * *

 _ **IT LIVES!**_

 _Requiem, we already used that joke..._

 ** _IT STILL LIVES!_**

 _Well, the same as before, if your OC has got accepted into something else, please tell either Requiem or I. Yes, this SYOC is still open._

 ** _And yes, it still updates, like, every three to four months._**

 _Anyway, both Akeno Tachibana, the 'Ultimate' Tailor, and Soarin Suki, the Ultimate Aerial Acrobat, belong to tobi-is-an-artist-too. Akeno is_ **very** _important to this story even though she's dead._

 ** _We're still in the prologue and getting major character deaths. Yippee! :D_**

 _Well, I love that you all are sticking with this story even though it doesn't update that much. I love all of your love and support. So sorry for being so busy but I still hope I'm able to finish this story._

 _If there are any typos or errors, it is because Requiem is rubbing off on me and I didn't have as much time to look over this one as all of the others. We're both horrible at finding mistakes. This is a shorter chapter for that reason._

 **Reviews with Requiem~**

 **SanityRequiem-IT LIVES ONCE AGAIN!**

 **Scissor-Snipper-Well, Isao Takagi is now dead, replaced by a new Mr. No Name! Yeah! I'm just gonna have the time of my life bothering Rachelle about actors things related to Yori. Beware the cute! Shun, unlike the others, has a shred of survival instinct. Now I'm just imagining a Star Trek!AU with Sakura being Spock. If there's anything Rachelle and I share, its the power to make people shit themselves.**

 **Lupus Overkill-Well, here's more! I love Yori too and his introduction. He has proven to be the undoing of Mr. Isao Takagi along with Akeno. Don't trust the artistic people, Isao. Rachelle thanks you. :) Well, good thing those two are very plot important. I think by the end of the story people are going to hate Rachelle as much as they hate me. Sakura's confidence was her undoing. She can join Ayano and Miyuki in the emotionless character section. Well, um, Akeno is very dead now, but so is he! Thanks~**

 **TheRoseShadow21-It comes alive every 3-4 months, don't worry. Rachelle thanks you, she works hard on all of these introductions. That is because his pain is Rachelle's pain. XD Yori protection squad UNITE! Sakura is going suffer being around all of these people. Thanks~**

 **TooManyIdeas14 (you can't hide from me XD)-YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS! Become one of us. Hahahahahaha!**

 **CandleFire45-Rachelle thanks you. :D Well, its more like the police are stupid and the next guy is a lot smarter. Thanks, I like Sakura too. Our little Mr. Spock of the Committee Saga. Have a good day too! :D**

 **ThePLOThand-No, we're too cruel just to kill Kiyome. We have to make her suffer for plot. Well, no matter what, the accepted characters are screwed. HAHAHAHA XD. Let the others read your review and be confused. :P**


	5. Prologue 4: Logic

Logic.

That is all one needs. The best way to inspire despair is to use your brain and think about a situation logically. Too many on our side focus too much on emotions, and that causes their downfall. Like one Mr. Isao Takagi. He could have been another great in our lineup but he got too invested in one little girl. A little girl named Akeno Tachibana.

Weakness is something I do not have. It is impossible for me to feel. All these people are another number, something everybody else will eventually forget about. A passing thought that will come and go. Even now, after waiting a couple months, I see that everybody except the people closest to them has all but forgotten their stories. Sometimes it will come up on the TV and a random old lady will say that it is sad and continue on with her day, paying no thought to their suffering.

I look down at the hat in my hands, examining every detail carefully. It belonged to Akeno but she forgot it at home the day that she died. The one day she forgot it was the day she died, how fitting. Truly, the hat shows off her formal skills very well, with the green and purple checkered pattern being something no stores would reasonably sell.

"Hibiki, I got something for you." He does not come out and I sigh. Figures, this is a common occurrence for him. Hibiki is a strange fellow, even for somebody like me. Though, considering how events have transpired, I do not blame him. "Its a hat. You like hats, right? And we're finally getting you some friends again."

"F-friends?" Hibiki comes out of the shadows of an opera house. It has long been abandoned except for the Monokumas and Hibiki.

For Hibiki himself, he has seen far better days. His brown hair is oily, unkempt, and is now down to his knees. Hibiki's eyes are red with bags underneath them. He used to have pale skin but now it is covered with dirt. All of his clothes are torn, grey, and faded. There is no life so perhaps it would be nice to brighten things up a bit. It could make for a more interesting game.

"Yes, friends, but you have to go through a-"

"No."

"Come on, Hibiki, are you tired of being here by yourself? I am sure that having a chance to make new friends will make everything worth it." Hibiki raises his eyebrow. It would seem I have to try harder than that.

"Monokuma wants you to do it. Isn't that right, Monokuma?" Inside my pocket, I have a switch to control one of the Monokumas here, one that has been given the number 11037. Those emotional despairs sure do love their references. By now, the reference has been used too many times to be found enduring. I much rather have a code be 0303 again than see 11037 for the millionth time.

"Yes, Hibiki. Imagine the thrills, chills, kills!" Monokuma announces. I would much rather have another mascot, but I cannot convince my master to consider it. Maybe if I do well getting this killing game prepared, he would listen to my suggestions. Rather than suggestions made by emotional fools who have no idea what they're doing.

"...This doesn't make sense."

"Stop being so critical of everything, Hibiki. No matter what you think, the killing game will happen here, and we will have people...fix up your appearance." I then throw the hat to Hibiki, who catches it. "This hat belonged to the Colorless Demon. Make sure you keep good care of it."

"Colorless Demon? You mean, Akeno? What did you do!?"

"Simple enough, Hibiki, we killed her." Hibiki can only stare at me with dead eyes as I walk out of the opera house. He puts on the hat and then fades back into the shadows once again.

That was fun little detour but it is back to our main objective. Since the other participants are getting to know each other and the rules quite nicely, it would be fun to add others to the mix.

* * *

Now I find myself at the airport. It is rather small considering that this part of Japan is not well known for tourists or being rich. Mostly it is so business people can go on their trips and people can visit their family after saving up a lot of money. Of course, this one student is here because Hope's Peak paid him enough to afford a ticket from Germany. Since many of the students are now currently missing, and the school year is about the start, Hope's Peak is trying to get new ones to fill in the void. And one of those new ones is the current target.

The target is Alvar Krier, the Ultimate Trumpeter.

Leaning on my black car (that I totally did not steal), I hold up the sign for Alvar. This is almost too easy. There is nobody else here but it is better to be safe than sorry. Failure is something we should not have to go through again.

I am about to head back into my car, thinking that Alvar's plane is just late when Alvar comes out the door with all of his luggage. The luggage that I immediately pick out is a black one, that clearly holds his trumpet. Maybe if I tell Hibiki that Kanon and Alvar are in the killing game, he will be more open to the idea. All of them are connected, as Hibiki Ueno was formerly known as the Ultimate Music Critic.

"Do you know Albrecht?" Alvar asks me. He looks tired from the plane ride, which will only make my job easier. It was a good decision to wait for this moment. Going all the way to Germany was something I did not want to do. Not only would it take a lot of time, it just did not make sense when we could just wait things out.

"Yes, he's my friend."

"I haven't seen or heard about you before." Alvar begins to walk away as he pulls out his cell phone. I notice that he has an app open for somebody to come to get him instead of me. That cannot happen. Remember your research of Alvar Krier, there has to be something that will fix this situation.

"My name is...Ippei Yamashita, the person your brother is teaching," I tell him. That moment, Alvar turns back but does not automatically get inside the car. Comparing Alvar to a person like Yori, he is much more careful, but everybody has their weaknesses. It is only a matter of time until I get into his head.

He is observing me so I find it is a good time to take more of a note about him. Alvar has his walls up, that's for certain, yet there are always things about a person you can find out just by looking at them. For example, it is clear that Alvar is trying to hide a few bruises using different articles of clothing but failing miserably. Many things can be interpreted from this but it is also good to not jump the gun and assume things about a person.

Alvar has brown hair and eyes that match each other. He has bangs but his grey fedora mostly hides them. Currently, his hair is very disorganized but nowhere near the point of Hibiki's. His shirt is an orange t-shirt with a black one underneath. Over both of them are a blue vest and a yellow scarf in a reverse drape tuck style. Adding more onto his look, Alvar has on a pair of blue jeans that stop right above his white socks that are rolled down. The most interesting thing to note, for me anyway, is Alvar's shoes. They are a pair of worn black penny loafers that are way too big for him.

"So you're Ippei Yamashita?" Alvar cautiously steps into the car while I load his luggage into the trunk. He is quiet, only looking at his phone. I cannot see what he is doing exactly but it seems like he is reading some sort of article about music. "I'm going to the Committee headquarters. You should know where that is."

Getting back into the car, I begin to head the direction of the Committee headquarters. I may be one for logic, but that does not mean I do not like messing with my prey every now and then. There is nothing Alvar can do now that he is in this car. He has his phone, sure, but the police are so mediocre nowadays that it means nothing.

Alvar is silent all the way to the headquarters. I am surprised he is still reading the article, as most people would complain about motion sickness or something like that. But Alvar is completely sucked into the world.

"We're here." The moment Alvar tries to open the door, he sighs. Childproof locks, I would have never guessed how useful they are in kidnapping scenarios.

"It's locked."

"I know." Driving pass the headquarters, Alvar's eyes widened. He starts banging on the windows but nobody listens to him, just thinking he is just another selfish brat that wants to get out of the car. People nowadays do not care about each other. They only focus on themselves. The world ends with you, they think, when really it should start. You know your philosophy is flawed when somebody like me pokes holes in it.

Eventually, when that was clearly not working for him, Alvar starts tapping his fingers on the glass. It is some sort of song that I heard before. If I had to guess, it was Debussy...perhaps Girl With the Flaxen Hair or Clair de Lune. Isao would not shut up about art. He is trying to keep his cool, and, even in a stressful situation such as this, and with only his fingers, Alvar knows how to make a good tune. It is miraculous what Ultimates like him can do at times.

"God, why do I always mess up?" Alvar shouts. By the panicked look on his face, I realize that he did not mean to say that out loud. I smile as Alvar tries to open the door with the lock. Seeing that nobody else is around, I open the door, wanting to see what would happen if he is given the hope of escape.

As Alvar gets out of the car, he immediately trips. He lands straight on his face, probably adding more bruises to ones that he already got. Though I purposefully give him time to run. After all, Alvar has yet to realize that he dropped his phone on the cement. It's severely cracked as I go to pick it up. Looks like he was trying to dial up the police but gave into panic too easily. See, everybody has a weakness, all you have to do is find and exploit it.

I start chasing after Alvar. At least he has the sense to head towards the Committee headquarters, but I will not let him get to that point. Having permission to harm the subjects because of the time period to the actual game, I pull out a gun and aim it to the ground. It goes off and Alvar turns around, seeing me with the weapon. Because people must probably have heard the gun, it is about time to get my plan into gear. Even if I do not automatically kidnap Alvar, it would be better to not be in this place.

Alvar turns into an alleyway. Perfect. I chase after him, faster since Alvar has the bad habit of tripping over his own feet. The car is most probably stolen by now, yet I do not care. We can get Alvar another trumpet if my master really cares about that sort of thing.

However, something unpredicted happened. In the alleyway, I see that Alvar has run into another person, who is currently wearing a doctor's coat. There are only two other people here, the doctor and a person currently bleeding out. The woman seems to have been stabbed multiple times. Another random attack by a random person with a random victim that people will view as another random story.

"Albrecht!" Alvar cries out. He is about to hug his big brother when I aim my gun once again. Because Alvar is short, being around five feet, his brother easily towers over him. Shooting him in the head will be easy.

So that's what I did.

With a bullet in his head, Albrecht falls onto the ground. He was killed instantly. I am not the type of person to drown somebody in shit. Alvar falls onto his knees, tears threatening to come out of his eyes. That moment, that woman died as well, becoming another faceless nobody in the events of history.

Alvar does not fight anymore as I force him into the car, which has surprisingly been not stolen. A few people have gathered here, yet then they go on their merry way, not knowing the horrors that just transpired.

This is why I fucking hate hope.

* * *

Next on the list. All these names are just people to cross off, not truly meaning anything other than...nothing really. Just a whole bunch of meaningless nobodies being forced to kill each other for the entertainment of the masses. How pathetic. At least I have a purpose. One that brings misery but one nevertheless.

So onto the next name, this is no time to be caught up in my thoughts. That is selfish, and I am not a selfish person. I give myself to the master and the master gives himself to us.

It is the middle of the night on the outskirts of the city. In the small space, we are confined to, this is the only place you can clearly see the stars. The moon is full, lighting the ground up along with a billion stars. Laying on the grass, I wait, relaxing so I can think clearly. This area is only grass, and the only reason it is not entirely polluted like everywhere else is that nobody cares about it except for one person.

Not noticing me, I see the target sit quite a bit away. They look tired but have a certain happiness to them. There were posters of a person who has been missing for years in their hands. Although he is as good as dead by this point, they would not stop searching for Ivan Pavlov, the former Honorary Ultimate Tracker. His case is so old that they still handed out that title like it was going out of business.

"At least the stars are the same," the person, whose name is Sasha Pavlov, Ultimate Astrophysicist, comments. They raise their hand to the moon and grab it. There is a sparkle in one of their eyes not made by the natural light. At first glance, they seem happy-go-lucky, but I know that appearances can be deceiving.

Sasha has warm, hazelnut skin with thick, curly black hair that reaches to their hips and is held back in a messy, rushes ponytail. Their eyes are a bright, happy golden brown, with the left eye being foggier than the right. They have a thin, petite build, only being around four feet and six inches tall.

For their outfit, they have a dark blue dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves and small white buttons, paired with black dress pants and black slip-on shoes. They have an undone black tie around their neck with white, star-like designs scattered across it. Sasha also wears a pair of black silk gloves that are currently on their hands.

"I'll do it! For you, Ivan!" With a smile on their face, they pull out their phone, even though there is no reception here. Sasha is very childlike, yet there is always something more to a person. I have a feeling this is going to be harder than my last job.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask them. The moment they hear me, Sasha turns to face my direction and works their way up. Sasha must have some survival instincts unlike everybody else.

"It's you!"

Although they probably do not have any training in hand-to-hand combat or the such, Sasha is a fast runner, their little body making it easy for them to do so. This will not be as easy as pulling out a gun since they are moving too quickly to get a good aim. Accidentally killing one of the subjects would be enough reason to terminate the whole plan if unlucky enough. So might as well think outside the box for this one.

Trying to run up to them, I cover some ground, but it is not enough. I am waiting for them to get winded, but it seems like that is not going to happen anytime soon. Sasha must have been exercising in some sort of way since their brother was also abducted for a killing game. Everybody now knows of the story that went on in that train.

"Sasha!" I call out to them. No response. Figures, perhaps I should try to the same strategy as with Suki. Time to play dirty. It is not the most honorable thing but I have never been one for ethics. Results matter, not morals and pleasure. Those can happen later.

They continue to ignore me, solely focused on escaping. Though I can tell that they're stressed. Sasha is not thinking clearly. The only reason they can probably still stand at this moment is adrenaline.

"I know where Ivan is," I tell them bluntly. For a split second, Sasha looks back at me, pure disbelief is their pretty eyes. They try to run again, but I catch up to them, grabbing a hold of one of the wrists. Sasha tries to fight me off but cannot do so. As time goes by, their eyes begin to dilate more and more. Tears begin to fall down as they do not give up in pure panic.

Sasha knows what is going to happen but can do nothing to stop it. Their cheery facade fades away into something more instinctual. They try to grab something out of their pocket, but I do not let them.

There is nobody else here so I just drag them to the car. A new car since the police are searching for the old one. I am still surprised by how many people forget to lock their cars nowadays. They truly must not care, deluding themselves into thinking that nothing bad can happen to them purely based on the fact that they believe in hope.

* * *

Last one for the week. Because of the previous failures, master wants us to space things out, give people time to forget about everything. Just more missing children. Why do they need to fear?

But now is not the time to think about that, there is a mission to do. There are also a couple weeks until the school officially starts. Even though all of these people are missing, they are going through with it anyway. Hope's Peak has always been an interesting school with almost no morals. They became more cutthroat because of Ayano Kirigiri, who is luckily dead.

In a bookstore, I see two girls, friends after both becoming Ultimates in the same class. Some of them must meet up beforehand, or maybe they were in the waiting room for Shun before everything went down. Only one of them is on the list, however, and I am told to just kill the other one. She would be of no use to us or the world at large.

Their names are Kaiya Aihara, Ultimate Mangaka, and Misa Kobayashi, Ultimate Ventriloquist.

Kaiya Aihara is a classic pretty girl. She has long wavy, curly pink hair that reaches her lower back, fair white moisturized skin that has zero blemishes, sky blue round eyes with perfectly done black mascara with light pink and blue eyeshadow on her eyelids, light pink lip gloss on her lips, rosy red cheeks, C cup chest, French manicured nails and a birthmark of a heart on her lower left stomach area. See, typical teenage girl, with nothing of note about her appearance, at least to me. If Isao was here, he would be drooling over her.

She wears a light blue sundress with pink flowers scattered on the dress' design, pink strap heels with white ribbons on each strap, transparent black stockings. Kaiya wears a blue and white ribbon bead bracelet on her left wrist, a silver charm bracelet on her right wrist with a heart, clover, rocking horse, diamond, star and butterfly charms on it. The girl carries a bright purple designer handbag around with her to keep her art books, art supplies, and makeup and she wears two hand gloves.

On the other hand, Misa has long wavy dark violet hair that reaches her waist, chocolate brown round eyes, pale rosy cheeks, small lips, cute button nose, a skinny physique, A cup chest, and smooth pale skin. She has a line scar across her right and left wrist. Misa reminds me a lot of Hiyoko, only slightly taller and way less of a brat.

She wears a red apron dress with black polka dots, a black ribbon sash around her waist with a dark violet bow on the back. Black transparent stockings are underneath, accompanied by dark red flat shoes with dark purple bows on each strap. Misa wears a black string bracelet on her right wrist with an evil smile pendant hanging from it and a black choker around her neck with a red bow on the side.

"Oh, look at this!" Kaiya points out a puppet book to Misa. Being a short girl, Misa is unable to reach up to the shelf, so Kaiya pulls it out and hands it to her. It is weird that Misa is hanging out with Kaiya since our research showed that she did not like being around other people.

"Excuse my language, but we already know all of that fucking stuff," one of Misa's puppets, Marion, curses. It's a creepy looking doll that has dark black short bobbed hair, red sunken in eyes with dark eyeliner around the edges, a wide mouth, wears a white dress shirt, red tuxedo, black bow-tie, and black dress shoes.

Kaiya raises her eyebrow and looks like she is about to complain until another doll replaces Marion.

"Haha, no, no it's wonderful! We love it," Antoinette counters. Contrasting Marion, Antoinette is a silver long haired doll attached with string and a handle to hold her, with green emerald eyes, long eyelashes, full red lips, a baby blue old-timey fifties dress, black Mary Janes and white wood skin. Its voice is annoying and I already want to make it shut up. This doll will get in the way of my goal just out of sheer annoyance.

Nothing really happens when they are in the bookstore. It is rather boring actually, but, once both of them decided not to get anything, Kaiya and Misa leave the store. They do not seem to realize that I am following them. There is nobody else around but the two of them either do not care or notice.

Waiting for the right moment, I take out my gun and charge at the two of them. I grab onto Kaiya, who gasps as I aim the gun to her head.

"Come into the alleyway or I'll blow your friend's brains out," I threaten Misa. Misa follows my orders, saying nothing as we all find our way into the closest alleyway.

"Out with it, asshole, tell us what you want!" Marion shouts. Kaiya stays quiet, too worried about the gun to her head to try to do anything.

"Maybe I want Kaiya to reveal everything about herself-"

"Shut up, pervert." I stand corrected. Kaiya is now staring at me, with both fear and irritation. I knew that she was too perfect, everybody has their flaws. Nobody can escape that truth.

"Please, let's just talk this out." Antoinette comes out again and I feel tempted to shoot Misa just because of that. I never would have guessed that something as small as a doll's voice would push me so over the edge. Then again, I imagine that Isao would have just admired the art of these two girls and never get his job done. Or get caught by a security camera again.

"Kaiya Aihara...or should I say Nanami Aizawa..." Nanami Aizama is the fake name that Kaiya uses to publish all of her manga. It is not a secret to Hope's Peak, after all, she is actually listed as Nanami Aizawa, Ultimate Mangaka. "...will join the killing game if you don't do one thing. Speak and your lives will be spared. Not as your puppets, but as yourself."

"...Please spare us..." Misa pleads with me. Too bad I like playing dirty. The last moment alive she looks down the barrel of my gun, betrayal in her eyes. Almost like they're saying 'but you promised' as if I would keep my word. Naive little girl.

And with a sound of a bang, another body is added, along with another player in the killing game.

* * *

 _Sorry if this one seems a little rushed. I mean, I copy and pasted things from their character profiles. I am going to be busy a lot for the rest of the year and wanted to get another chapter out. I'm currently moving so I hope I can update more once its 2019. Kaleigh also helped write a lot of this chapter so I am forever thankful for them._

 ** _But it still lives...and its still open._**

 _Thanks for your understanding. I know that it is a bit annoying to wait for these chapters but I try to make them as good as I possibly can. So, yeah._

 _Thank you to YellowtheWriter for Alvar Krier, the Ultimate Trumpeter, AnonChan1 for Sasha Pavlov, the Ultimate Astrophysicist, and liammarklh88 for Kaiya Aihara, the Ultimate Mangaka, and Misa Kobayashi, the Ultimate Ventriloquist._

 _If I got your characters wrong, or if they're grammar errors because this chapter was rushed, please feel free to correct us in the review section._

 **Now for your favorite part, reviews with Requiem! :D**

 **Reviews~**

 **TheRoseShadow21-The fic is alive, and here for another update with lots of suffering since this is the Committee Saga. We got more deaths, because Rachelle and I are having too much fun killing peeps. Here's some hints already! Other creepy dude is here to stay for the prologue. Rachelle says thank you.4**

 **ThePLOThand-Knowing what I know...Rachelle and I kinda went crazy with this story. Because I always go crazy. No, by the end of the prologue, the whole world will be dead, and the participants the only survivors (that's...actually a good idea). Because Akeno is too damn adorable not to!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too-The Committee Saga lives to make your children suffer Tobi. Isao Takagi...keeps getting badmouthed by new Mr. Creep after his death. I know your pain, if I did that as well, I would probably be a good student. Yori is too dumb for this world and I love him. Shun is like...do it, Hattori, please because I'm nice. Renee and everybody else will suffer, I can tell you that. Sakura is here for people to create theories! Tobi, please don't pass out.**

 **KananMari-Rachelle and I are finding new ways to make the characters and audience suffer. Akeno is still here! I love Akeno too, she's so adorable but we do not do good things with cinnamon rolls.**

 **tobi-as-a-guest-No, we found Akeno's hat.**

 **Lupus Overkill-Rachelle says thanks, we both work hard to make sure these chapters really rock. Because this is a slow-paced slow-to-upload story so we gotta get your attention somehow. Most of the references are my fault. Haha, it was fun reading that part and seeing the tragic flaw exploited. Of course they're gonna be important. ;) It means something along the lines of Colorless Demon. Thanks, Rachelle and I worked hard to make people care about her in such a short time. Yeah, this guy might like having fun sometimes, but he gets shit done. I'm not revealing anything about Suki, I love her plot line too much. Junko is Junko. ;) Rachelle says thanks. We both really enjoy reviews so thank you Lupus. :)**


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